Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are set to attend Beijing’s military parade next week alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping — their first public appearance as a trio standing in defiance against the West.
China’s “Victory Day” parade, scheduled for Sept. 3, is set to mark solidarity between Beijing and its allies and undermine the West’s heavy sanctions and attempts to isolate the authoritarian states.
The highly choreographed parade, to be one of China’s largest in years, will also showcase the Middle Kingdom’s cutting-edge equipment like fighter jets, missile defence systems and hypersonic weapons as Beijing’s threats to invade Taiwan loom, according to state propganda.
Female PLA soldiers rehearse for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end, at a Beijing base on Aug. 20, 2025. Getty ImagesPutin will be the biggest name at the event as Russia counts on China as its biggest strategic partner following multiple rounds of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
China is notably one of the few places Putin can travel to after the International Criminal Court placed a warrant for his arrest over Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
China has been previously accused of helping fuel Moscow’s war machine, with Ukrainian officials claiming that Beijing’s technology has been found inside Russian drones.
Beijing is also one of the strongest allies to North Korea, with Kim last visiting China in 2019.
Out of the 26 foreign leaders invited to the parade, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico will be the only official from a NATO member in attendance, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Those attending the parade will include Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iran’s President Masoud Pezashkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 27, 2025. via REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting the special operation training base directly under the authority of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Aug. 28, 2025. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a grand gathering at the Potala Palace square to mark the 60th founding anniversary of Xizang Autonomous Region in Lhasa on Aug. 21, 2025. ZUMAPRESS.comSerbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic is also set to attend.
The United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, who previously served in various capacities at the Chinese foreign ministry, will be at the parade to represent Beijing.
The main segment of the parade, which marks Japan’s formal surrender during World War II, will see Xi survey tens of thousands of troops at Tiananmen Square alongside the foreign dignitaries and senior Chinese leaders.
With Post wires
